SENIOR Liverpool council officers made a last-ditch attempt to warn councillors of the risks associated with Merseytram, the Daily Post can reveal.

Chief executive Sir David Henshaw, city solicitor Graeme Creer and executive member for resources Phil Halsall attended the crucial meeting of the ruling Liberal Democrat group on Monday night.

The Lib-Dems agreed that Liverpool should join Knowsley in supporting a joint #24m contingency fund for the tram, making final approval by the city's cabinet on Friday a virtual formality.

The contingency will be used if costs over-run from the current budget of more than #280m.

It is hoped that will convince the Government to release its #170m of support and allow the 11-mile route from Kings Dock to Kirkby to finally go ahead.

But the vital agreement came only after the three officers gave a final warning of their view of the risks associated with the project, another clear sign of the division between councillors and their officers on the merits of Merseytram.

Elected councillors listened to the views of their officials but decided by a 25-8 majority that they wanted to give the #300m project their backing.

Seven of the city cabinet voted in favour of the scheme and two against.

A party source told the Daily Post: "The officers said they would carry out our wishes but then listed all the other schemes that might be jeopardised by supporting the tram.

"The 50m pool at Picton was mentioned, the botanical collection, even alley-gating.

"Graeme Creer was asked whether councillors might be surcharged if it all went wrong. Apparently that can't happen any more but he did mention he would write a letter to all members if he felt we were acting in any way illegally.

"They also said that if we did wish to approve anything beyond the #24m contingency we should do so only after a full due diligence report but of course that would take time we just don't have now."

Passionate speeches in favour of the tram from executive member for regeneration Peter Millea and executive member for community safety Richard Marbrow convinced the party to back the scheme.

Cllr Millea, who is also a member of Merseytravel, said: "Over the last few months we have had our differences with the officers but, to be fair to them, it is their role to be cautious.

"We value that, and they are there to protect our interests. They pointed out the risks and they have their interpretation of those and we have our own.

"As a group we have decided to take the risk of underwriting a contingency which may never be needed anyway.

"The officers made it clear that we could not agree to anything more than the #24m contingency and we never intended to do that anyway.

"It would have scuppered the tram if Liverpool and Knowsley were asked to pay more than the #24m and quite rightly Merseytravel did not ask us to do that."

Cllr Millea urged the Government to release the #170m it has promised to Merseytram once the contingency is formally approved on Friday.

He said: "The ball is now firmly in the Government's court. We have shown we meant what we said all along and that is we want this project to go ahead.

"There is no more we can do; it is now up to the Govern-ment."

Rail Minister Derek Twigg, MP for Halton, yesterday appeared rather more optimistic than last week, when he had warned all parties a conclusion had to be reached soon.

Mr Twigg said: "We all want to be sensible about this. We have almost reached agreement and I fully understand that this scheme is of vital importance to Merseyside."